I read with deep disappointment the statement credited to you, Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, in which you were quoted as saying: “2027 Election Is In God’s Hands, Not Mine,” as reported by RankNewsNG.
Sir, with all due respect, you cannot hide behind God. You know better than anyone that Nigerians are not taking the 2027 general election lightly, especially with you as Chairman of INEC.
Every Nigerian citizen, by virtue of Section 77 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 12 of the Electoral Act 2022, has an inalienable right to vote. Not only to vote, but for that vote to count and to be counted. That is the social contract of democracy. When a market woman leaves her stall in Oshodi, when a farmer leaves his farm in Gboko, and when a student leaves his hostel in Nsukka to stand in the sun for hours to vote, he is not doing you a favour. He is exercising his constitutional right, and INEC has a constitutional duty to ensure that right is not wasted. That vote is his voice against hunger, insecurity and unemployment, and you must not silence it.
You must understand the Nigeria for which you are about to conduct elections, because Nigerians are facing unprecedented hardship, and that is why 2027 is a matter of life and death. A bag of rice that cost N8,000 is now N85,000. Fuel price has moved from N87 to over N1,100 per litre, and transportation costs have collapsed many businesses. Our young people have no jobs, and JAPA has become our national survival strategy. From Zamfara to Benue, from Plateau to Ondo, insecurity has forced Nigerians to sleep with one eye open. We still remember 2023 vividly. We were promised that the BVAS would work and that results would be transmitted live on the IReV portal. Nigerians believed and stayed awake all night, only to be told there was a technical glitch. That glitch broke the trust of an entire generation.
That is why the 2027 election is not just another election. It will determine the fate of Nigeria for another four years. What you do in 2027 will determine whether 230 million Nigerians will be able to feed, live, work and prosper. You cannot treat the destiny of a nation with levity.
Professor, this is the core of my message to you: Come clean. There must never again be any form of BVAS malfunction in 2027, whether in Lagos, Kano, Bayelsa, in the creeks or in the desert. Every BVAS device must work, every battery must be fully charged, and every accreditation must be captured. There must also never be any form of electoral manipulation through the server. Nigerians are now wiser. If 100 votes are recorded at the polling unit, it must be 100 votes on IReV and 100 votes at the collation centre. No addition, no subtraction, no manipulation. We do not want stories about server failure, network glitches or technical hitches at 2 a.m. We want a system that is credible, fair and just from the first vote to the last announcement.
Sir, God did not apply for the position of INEC Chairman; you did. God was not screened by the Nigerian Senate; you were. God did not take an oath to uphold the Constitution; you did. Section 153 of the Constitution appointed you, not God, and so the responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders. God will not print ballot papers, recruit 1.5 million ad-hoc staff, secure sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria, or be present at collation centres when desperate politicians attempt to influence the process. God will not upload results to the IReV portal. You will.
That is why I appeal to you: Protect your integrity and respect your family name. You are a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a Professor of Law who has built a reputation over several decades. Your children bear the name Amupitan, and your grandchildren will bear it as well. When the history of the 2027 election, which will either save Nigeria or bury her, is written, what will your family read about their father? Professor Attahiru Jega left INEC in 2015 as a hero, while Professor Mahmood Yakubu left with questions that history continues to ask. How do you wish to be remembered?
Mr. Chairman, this appointment is not a church responsibility. It is a professional and constitutional duty that demands the highest ethical standards. Uphold the ethics of the office in a highly professional manner. Be fair, be just, and be credible throughout the entire 2027 electoral process. From voter registration to party primaries, from campaign monitoring to voting, collation and declaration, the process must be clean. Avoid any form of manipulation, rigging or compromise. Come clean to Nigerians and present your plan to deliver the most credible election in our history.
The ballot remains the only peaceful weapon Nigerian youths have left. If you compromise it, you will be pushing a hungry and angry nation to the wall. The year 2027 may be in God’s hands spiritually, but constitutionally, legally and morally, it is 100 percent in your hands, Professor Amupitan.
Nigerians are watching. The world is watching. God is watching. Do not fail us.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and Judicial Reform
